The Nikwasi Mound in Franklin is one step closer to being transferred back to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a process almost a century in the making. 

At a Franklin Town Council meeting Jan. 5, the board voted unanimously to transfer the deed for the property, which is just south of downtown near the Little Tennessee River, from the Noquisi Initiative, a nonprofit formed for this very purpose about a decade ago, to EBCI. 

The Christmas season, dreaded by some, beloved by others, especially children. Already you’ll find houses festooned with lights and yards dotted with inflatable Santas, “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night” on the radio and grocery store shelves stuffed with cards, chocolates and holiday cookies. 

Nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services will welcome Imani Perry as its 14th Annual Justice Forum keynote speaker on Oct. 23 in Asheville with a free watch party happening simultaneously in Cullowhee.  

The event is free, but registration is required. This event is made possible by presenting sponsors Jacquelyn and Bruce Rogow and others generous members of our community. 

In a move that will raise some eyebrows and just as many questions, the decades-long dance festival put on by Folkmoot USA in Waynesville has quietly been eliminated. 

July 2012. When I was in the running for the open position of arts and entertainment editor here at The Smoky Mountain News, I had to drive from where I was living at the time (Plattsburgh, New York) to Waynesville (1,100 miles each way) for the final interview. 

The long and storied tradition that is the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games returns to MacRae Meadows on Thursday, July 10, continuing through Sunday, July 13. 

A friend of mine suggested “Wild Swans” (Simon & Schuster, Reprint Edition, 2003, 538 pages) and to say it did not disappoint would be an understatement. This family history is written by Jung Chang, who recounts the lives of her grandmother, mother and finally herself. 

To the Editor:

I was recently honored with Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Award, an award I treasured receiving. In her remarks in presenting this to me, Chancellor Kelli Brown noted my 30-plus years of cultural preservation.

Editor’s note: While it is standard SMN and AP style to use last names when referring to people in articles, this story refers to students by their first names.

The Spanish word “camino” means road or path in English, and according to the student leaders of a new club at Franklin High School, that is exactly what they want their group to be. 

“Affrilachia: Testimonies,” by Chris Aluka Berry sets out to document the Black experience in Appalachia. The book is a historical artifact that honors, represents and celebrates a diverse community whose own history is the history of Appalachia, and whose existence has shaped the region.